Brisbane, Australia
Alina and I went to a local farm during our second day at Gold Coast, which is south of Brisbane. We spent a few hours there cracking whips, feeding animals, throwing boomerangs and shearing sheep. The farm tour started with lunch and local entertainment. In the picture below, I am on the left providing backup for the guitar player. The hosts put a hat on my head and gave me two plastic bottles filled with dry beans.

Later we fed kangaroos, sheep and other farm animals. In the picture below, Alina milks a cow.

On our third day we relaxed on the beach and took a long walk. Below is a picture of me standing on the shores of Gold Coast in an area called Surfer's Paradise.

Later that night, we ate dinner with Alina's brother Aaron and his friends at Hog's Breath Cafe. Aaron claimed the steak there is better than in the U.S. Ironically, the steak was good but I had better steak in the U.S. at the Outback Steakhouse. Pictured below, from left to right are Rachel, Elan, Alina, Michelle, Aaron and Eugene during dinner.

Bali, Indonesia
The next day we flew to Bali for three nights. We stayed at a crappy hotel. The towels and bed sheets were dirty. I was very unhappy, but everything was already paid for. We complained and switched to a room with better accommodations. The name of the hotel was Kuta Beach Club in case you ever want to go to Bali. I recommend staying at the Hard Rock Beach Club instead. It is on the beach, next to the cafe and has the coolest pool I have ever seen.
      Harassment was another problem in Bali. The locals are aggressive sellers and desperate for money. You cannot walk ten feet without somebody asking you to buy rings, watches, sunglasses, newspapers or marijuana. The locals scream "Hello Boss" or obstruct your path to get your attention. Their marijuana selling techniques are not as aggressive. Dealers will stand on the sidewalk waiting for tourists to walk by. As you pass them, when your ear is within inches of their mouth, they whisper "Ma-ri-juan-a" or "Hash." I was offered marijuana more than ten times in three days walking down the main street in Kuta, a city in Bali.
     In my last journal entry, I mentioned food in Malaysia was cheap. Bali is even cheaper. During our third day in Bali, Alina and I ate at Brasil-Bali Restaurant. Alina had fried rice with orange juice and I had chicken rice with an avocado shake. Food was great and no stomach troubles the next day. Dinner for two cost us $0.89 when converted to US currency.
     I do not have much else to report on Bali. Traffic was bad and there are many sick stray dogs. The nightlife is decent, populated mostly by white tourists from Australia. A large minority is surfers. Bali is a beautiful island and the locals are nice despite the annoying merchants.

From Singapore to Home
I write this from Singapore. I fly away from here in less than 32 hours. I am very sad my five weeks in South East Asia are over. I guess all good things must end. I will be back in Fair Lawn, New Jersey on Wednesday, the 22^nd but will continue to travel in the United States over the next three weeks before I settle down at home.

- Elan

P.S. Many Balinese merchants offered to braid hair or draw tattoos. Since it was cheap and I was on vacation, I thought what the hell. I was born the year of the dragon so...

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